Page 94 of Bite Marks & Broken Hearts

I froze, caught between wanting to pull away and lean into his touch. No one had touched me like this since James.

“Can I…” His hand hovered, uncertain. “Can I see them properly? Please?”

Slowly, I parted my lips. My fangs extended fully—sharp, deadly things designed for tearing flesh. I waited for the horror to cross his face, for him to recoil like any sane person would.

Instead, his fingertip traced the curve of one fang with careful precision. The touch sent electricity down my spine.

“There we are,” he whispered, wonder in his voice.

My hands trembled. I wanted to tell him this wasn’tme, that I was more than just teeth and hunger, but the gentle acceptance in his eyes stole my words.

His finger followed the line of the other fang. “They’re beautiful.”

I made a choked sound. Beautiful? These weapons that had torn so many throats, spilled so much innocent blood?

“They are,” Flynn insisted. “Like every piece of you.” Then his gaze dropped—he’d caught sight of my shirt, soaked through. I should have buttoned up my coat.

“You’re bleeding.”

“One of them managed to take a chunk out of me. But it’s nothing.” The wound in my side throbbed, reminding me it was very much something. “Can you stand?”

I pushed myself up, ready to help Flynn to his feet. The world tilted sharply, and my legs gave out. I collapsed onto the van’s metal floor with a dull thud, clutching my side.

“¡Joder!” The curse echoed in the confined space. Blood seeped between my fingers, chilled and sticky. How dare my body betray me like this? Not here, not now, not when I just got him back, safe again.

Flynn scrambled towards me. “Seb?”

“I’ll heal.” The words caught in my throat. Would I, though? The bone had torn deep—I could feel air assaulting the ragged edges of the wound, the way it gaped wider with each breath. And the hunger…Lord, the hunger. I felt my grip on reality slipping through my fingertips.

“You’re lying.” Flynn’s voice shook.

I didn’t answer. What could I say? The truth was written in every drop of blood pooling beneath me, in the way my limbs felt heavier with each passing second.

“You’re safe now,” I managed to croak. “And even if I go, one of the others will be here soon.”

“Go?What do you mean,go?Die?!”

In the cramped space, Flynn shuffled closer. His hands found my shoulders, and he pulled me onto his lap with surprising gentleness. The movement sent fresh agony through my side, but I bit back another curse. His warmth seeped into me, a stark contrast to my own skin, now even cooler than usual.

I tried to offer Flynn a smile. “Don’t be sad. I’ve had over five hundred years of life.”Most of them spent in shadows, watching the world pass by me. Strange, how a few weeks with you made me feel more alive than I could have imagined. So many sunrises wasted…

“That’s not funny.” His hands trembled against my shoulders.

“Listen to me. Earlier, in the bakery…” I drew in a shaky breath, needing to get the words out. “You asked what I wanted from you.”

Flynn stilled, his heartbeat quickening. The sound called to me, whispering dark promises.

“The truth is, I want everything.” The confession scraped raw in my throat. “Everything.And that terrifies me.”

His fingers tightened in my ruined shirt.

“And you’re notconvenient.” I reached up, cupping both cheeks with trembling fingers. “God help me, Flynn, you’re the most inconvenient thing that’s happened to me in two decades. And I still can’t stay away.”

The van’s metal walls seemed to close in around us, the darkness pressing closer. Or perhaps that was just my fading consciousness. I fought to keep my eyes open, to memorise every detail of his face above me.

“You deserve someone whole, someone unmarked by centuries of darkness. But I’m selfish enough to want you anyway.”

I could picture him finding someone steady as the shore, someone who’d give him roots instead of a storm-tossed existence. They’d build a life together, far from the darkness of my corner of the world, and Flynn’s smile would shine as bright as sunlight. He deserved that peace, that certainty—not the tumultuous depths I offered.

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